Safe Storage Resolution

Whereas, Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the  United States, killing more than 4,000 young people annually1, and 

Whereas, Firearms are used in more than half of suicides by kids and teens, killing  an average of 63 Wisconsin children annually2, and. 

Whereas, Incidents of school shootings have risen to more than 300 per year3,  resulting in changes to the day-to-day operations of schools, lost instructional time,  and unknown effects on the mental health of students, and 

Whereas, Rates of firearm violence among youth are increasing, disproportionately  impacting young people of color4, and 

Whereas, Federal law prohibits youth access to handguns with limited exceptions5,  and 
Whereas, Unsecured firearms are used in half of all incidents of school shootings  and more than half of all youth suicides6, and 

Whereas, Studies suggest child access prevention and safe storage of firearms can  reduce suicide risk and other firearm injury and death7, and 

Whereas, the Federal government has failed to take action on common sense gun  reform, and 

Whereas, the State of Wisconsin has passed a Child Access Prevention law, but has  not taken action to legislate a comprehensive safe storage law8, and 

Whereas, Safety is a community concern and a shared responsibility, and 
Whereas, Madison Metropolitan School District students have expressed the  importance of this initiative, and

Therefore, be it resolved that the MMSD Board of Education directs the Madison  Metropolitan School District to take action on community safety by developing and  implementing an annual, comprehensive strategy promoting safe storage. 

Be it further resolved that in developing this strategy, the Madison Metropolitan  School District shall consider utilizing direct mailing, collaborating with concerned  students, and including both a reminder about safe storage and an option to affirm  households will comply with safe storage practices upon enrollment in the Madison  Metropolitan School District. May this statement be permanently imprinted in the  Board of Education minutes for the Regular meeting dated January 26, 2026. 

_{1. Villarreal, S., Kim, R., Wagner, E., Somayaji, N., Davis, A., & Crifasi, C. K. (2024). Gun Violence in the United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens. Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  https://publichealth.jhu.edu/sites/default/files/2024-09/2022-cgvs-gun-violence-in-the-united-states.pdf 2. Everytown Research & Policy (2025). Too Many, Too Soon: Youth Firearm Suicide in the United States. Everytown  Research. https://everytownresearch.org/report/the-rise-of-firearm-suicide-among-young-americans/ 3. Riedman, D. (2023). K-12 School Shooting Database. https://k12ssdb.org/all-shootings  4. Edmund , Marissa. “Gun Violence Disproportionately and Overwhelmingly Hurts Communities of Color.” Center  for American Progress, 30 June 2022. www.americanprogress.org/article/gun-violence-disproportionately-and overwhelmingly-hurts-communities-of-color/.  5. 18 U.S.C. § 922(x)(2), (5).  6. National Threat Assessment Center. (2019). Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence. U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security.  https://www.secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/Protecting_Americas_Schools.pdf 7. A National Evaluation of the Impact of Child Access Prevention Laws on Rates of Youth Suicide and Other Youth  Firearm Deaths Athey, Alison et al. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 64,  Issue 8, 897 - 905 https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(24)01991-9/fulltext  8. “Child Access Prevention & Safe Storage in Wisconsin.” Giffords, 31 Dec. 2023, giffords.org/lawcenter/state laws/child-access-prevention-and-safe  storage-in-wisconsin}